Funny thing happened Yesterday

[trebor]

While we were checking out at a store yesterday, the cashier got a call on the phone. He picked it up and briefly spoke to the person at the other end of the line. When he hung up he turned around to my wife and I and said, "The eyes in the sky want to know if those are real." I said, "What?" He said, "The guys upstairs (Security monitoring the overhead security cameras) want to know if your coat are real. Is that real fur?" We laughed and assured him that our coats were genuine fur.

 

As we walked out of the store I looked up at one of the security bubbles and smiled and waved

 

 

FurBob

[samurman]

I'm sure they must have made a video clip of you and your wife in furs, and are now watching it over and over...

[Worker 11811]

That's really strange.

 

Having worked in a security department, I know it is a little bit out of line for the camera operator to contact a floor employee unless it is in the line of duty. It is pretty far out of line for a camera operator to contact a customer unless there is a reason to do so.

 

Having cameras overhead tends to make people feel uneasy. The exception to this might be a bank or a similar place where people might feel more secure knowing there are people looking out for them in case of trouble. But, generally speaking, people want to go about their business without feeling like there are other people spying on them. Security employees are supposed to stand watch and be alert in case of trouble but they are supposed to do it as unobtrusively as possible. They are supposed to "blend into the woodwork." People just don't like the feeling that there are security guards watching their every move.

 

I was a security guard in a large hotel. I often took shifts operating cameras and manning the control center. There are plenty of other things to keep the officer busy. He has to monitor alarm systems, answer phones, fill out reports and all sorts of things. He should not be simply sitting there watching people. There are exceptions, of course. You would expect the operator at a place like a casino or a high security industrial facility to have different types of duties. However, in a retail or hospitality setting, security personnel do more than just watch cameras.

 

I am a little bit puzzled as to why a security guard who is supposed to be invisible unless there is a reason to break cover would come out and, in essence, say, "Hello, there! I see you!"

 

Either the guy was goofing off or he thought there was some kind of trouble.